Gina Mancuso will be honored at this Saturday's men's basketball game.

Photo Courtesy Scott Bruhn/NU Media Relations

Courtesy: NU Media Relations

12/27/2012

Lincoln- Nebraska senior outside hitter Gina Mancuso will be honored at Saturday's men's basketball game against Nicholl's State as she is the 2012 recipient of the Senior CLASS Award for volleyball.

Mancuso was chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I volleyball coaches, national volleyball media and fans. The award is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, community, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

She is Nebraska's second winner of the award, as All-America women's basketball player Kelsey Griffin earned the honor in 2010.

A marketing major at Nebraska, Mancuso was named a 2012 CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American and has been a two-time member of the Academic All-Big Ten Team and was honored with an Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2010. A two-year member of the school's student-athlete advisory committee, she most recently served as its community outreach officer. Mancuso is a member of the Husker Connect mentoring program and is a motivational speaker for a local foster care camps. She has also been an active volunteer in Nebraska's hospital visits.

Mancuso is a two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American and was a unanimous All-Big Ten team selection as a junior and senior. She led the Huskers with 428 kills (a 3.48 kill per set average) and 34 service aces this year.